Music China 2009: Hailun “Dreams of the East” grand piano draws a crowd

On the Saturday before the opening of the Music China Fair in Shanghai, a multinational team of piano designers is crowded around a hand-carved piano at the Hailun Piano factory in Ningbo, 175 miles to the south. The special edition concert grand with its images of Chinese landscapes carved in rosewood will be the centerpiece of Hailun’s exhibit at the show. Voicing specialist Sibin Zlatkovic is making his final adjustments to its exposed strings while the rest of the team looks on.

“We did this kind of work at Bösendorfer,” says Basilios Strmec, an Austrian who is now president Hailun USA. “This is a gorgeous piano, all hand-carved. It took 19 months to build.”

The showpiece piano represents a first step into the luxury piano market for Hailun, whose mid-priced instruments have taken hold throughout North America and Europe as well in as the domestic Chinese market. Last year the brand received worldwide exposure in the form of a red lacquered grand piano built for ceremonies in the run-up to the Beijing Olympic Games.

After the Music China Fair, Hailun’s hand-carved concert grand, called Dreams of the East, sold to a Chinese businessman for $347,000

Hailun’s goal is to build into a global brand that is recognized for its quality and its acceptance among serious musicians in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. We intend to focus on continually improving the quality of our instruments both in production and musicality- and remain an innovative company. An important part of our brand goal is to extend open arms to musicians and develop a visible artist program. Ultimately, Hailun wants to reach out and be able to serve the stages of concert halls and recording studios with instruments that stun musicians and music connoisseurs of every musical persuasion.